Our Founder

Geoffrey Arthur Hanscomb

Geoffrey Hanscomb, son of an architect and great, great, great…grandson of John Hanscomb, a builder in London in the 1700's, instinctively found his way to a career as a Quantity Surveyor.

Geoffrey’s career and roots were in London, England but his passion took him all over the world. By the 1950's Geoffrey started recruiting Quantity Surveyors for projects in West Africa doing war damage claim estimates in Ghana and Nigeria after World War 2. Geoffrey encouraged young West Africans to come to London and qualify as professional Quantity Surveyors. This benevolent act paid off for these men when the former colonies became independent.

As business in West Africa matured, the firm sought new opportunities. One of his partners, Peter Gardner, had done his wartime RAF training in Canada. Deciding this to be their next location, they set up shop in Toronto in 1957 at 1999 Bay Street, providing estimating services.

The 1960s and 1970s saw a massive construction boom. As the firm continued to prosper, Hanscomb moved into the United States, initially in New York and then in Chicago.

Geoffrey was very "hands on". He travelled a great deal building relationships with architects and clients everywhere. But, his roots were in London with his greatest partner, his wife Jessie. They had no children but regarded the firm and its people as their progeny.

Former Hanscomb President, John Walker shares a personal memory:

“When my son Mark, then very young, had to go into hospital for an operation Geoffrey paid personally for him to have a private room so that Hilary (mother) could stay with him. He asked me to tell no-one about this and until now I have not done so. I suspect it was neither the first nor the last example of his kindness to a junior member of staff.”

Geoffrey’s keen interest in anyone working for the firm resonated in the people hired or promoted. His people were strong – they were his partners. He rewarded hard work and success, and was willing to go anywhere in the world in pursuit of an opportunity.

Today, Geoffrey’s legacy lives on and we are proud of the man behind our name.

Latest News

Statistics Canada's Fourth Quarter Non-residential Construction Price Indices are now available. The First Quarter Indices for 2017 will be released mid-May. Click here to download a copy of Hanscomb's Escalation Watch.